The Wardroom mess was run like a small business and each officer had to pay a monthly mess bill of about $25 to $35, a lot of money in those days. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. stevens funeral home pulaski, va obituaries. Fletcher-Class Destroyer. This officer stood no underway watches. Fletcher (DDE-445) is recommissioned as an escort destroyer at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, 03 October 1949. I was a radioman aboard this ship. I was on the same 2-week Reserve Cruise. Disbursing Clerk (DK) Assisted the Supply Officer in performing his paymaster functions. This article describes destroyer operations as I remember them during the late 1950s. Friedman, Norman "US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised Edition)", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:2004, p.111-112. Nineteen were lost during World War II; six more were damaged and not repaired. The Chief Engineer bears responsibility for operation of the ships engineering plant, electrical generation and distribution, auxiliary machinery, and interior communications. Department heads reported to XO for all administrative matters related to their departments. I served on this ship during my reserve time in 1966-67 with fond memories of a great crew and a fine old ship that still preformed as it did when new. I served as a 2nd Class Torpedoman aboard the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Morrison DD560 from its christening on Dec.18, 1943, until we were sunk by a Japanese kamikaze on May 4,1945. The Fletcher-class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. All wardroom provisions had to be purchased from the General Mess or other sources ashore. Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II. Richard Vessels, my father, John Hanson, was an officer on USS Aulick DD569. If memory serves me, I think we moved from station 2 to 1 right behind Luce. If the ship was designated as a flagship, accommodations were provided on board for the Commodore and his staff. In fact, they served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, during which they accounted for 29 Imperial Japanese Navy submarines sunk. She was laid down on 28 August 1941 at Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works Corp.; launched on 7 June 1942, sponsored by Mrs. H. A. Baldridge; and commissioned on 28 August 1942 at the Charlestown Navy Yard near Boston, Mass., Lieutenant Commander . I am the USS EATON DD/DDE510 REUNION ASSOC. Technical information. He was always on call when the ship was underway. These conditions are established by closing the appropriate fittings such as valves, hatches, and watertight doors. Many of the ships were sold to other navies during the mid-1950s, including: Any remaining were broken up in the 1970s. Though built with the Pacific in mind, Fletchers also served in the Atlantic theater. charity photographer jobs borderlands 2 how to spend eridium harmony of the seas itinerary december 2021. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? In February 1943, the fantail-mounted Bofors was removed and one twin mount was placed on each side of the aft funnel, bringing the total number of 40mm to six. Admiral's flag is flying from the yardarm. In an emergency program to expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were brought on line. Ship Servicemen (SH) Served as laundry men and operated the ships store and barber shop. Meanwhile, the Navy continued looking ahead. The Navigator is responsible for determining the ships position and making recommendations as to the appropriate course of action to the commanding officer. [10] Typically, Babcock & Wilcox boilers and General Electric geared steam turbines were equipped, although other designs and manufacturers were probably used to maximize the rate of production. Boatswains Mates (BM) This was generally considered to be the senior enlisted rating in the navy, a tradition probably handed down from the days of sail. In those days they were nearly all Filipinos. The engine room and fire room supervisors would man their stations. The answer to your question (if you havent already received it) is 12 depth charges in each of the two racks. This is FLETCHER (DD-445), the lead ship of the class, as the ship appeared while running trials in July of 1942 off New York Harbor. The Fletcher-class is almost synonymous with the term destroyer within the context of WWII. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. 25 . The first ship to moor had to place a boat in the water which carried the mooring party. Velos is the only vessel still in commission. The growth in the design was in part a response to the challenge that had dogged U.S. Navy designs in coping with long range operations in the Pacific Ocean. Three have been preserved as museum ships in the U.S., and one in Greece. Others carried trainable Hedgehogs. They were also to carry no less than five 5in (127mm) guns and ten deck-mounted torpedo tubes on the centerline, allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms. The Fletcher class (named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher, Medal of Honor recipient) was the largest destroyer class ordered. So the next order was Single up all lines. The conning officer would then use an appropriate combination of rudder, engines, and lines to get the ship underway. Note that both the terms is and was are used interchangeably in this discussion because many of these practices still exist today. Once clear of the harbor, the navigator would announce that we were entering International Waters, where different Rules of the Road apply. One my ships was USS OBannon DD-450 , the most decorated destroyer of WWII. 35 knots: Engines: Geared-turbines : Power: 60000 : Notes on class: This was the second class of destroyers, after Benson / Gleaves, built during the war. They were also to carry no fewer than five 5in (127mm) guns and ten deck-mounted torpedo tubes on the centerline, allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms. I am so sorry I never had a discussion with him about his experiences and what he did, before he died when I was 14. Three (Pringle, Stevens, Halford) were built (six planned) with aircraft catapults, resulting in the deletion of one 5-inch mount and the after set of torpedo tubes. Named after a swashbuckling Union Civil War captain, the Porter was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built during World War II. All rights reserved. On a small ship, this is usually a collateral duty. Ratings assigned to the division included: Second Division, USS Halsey Powell, from 1959-1960 Cruise Book. The BT rating was considered to have the hottest and dirtiest jobs in the navy. These conditions refer to degrees of closure to minimize the effects of potential damage. Required fields are marked *. Did we know each other? The Chief Boatswains Mate (BMC) was expected to be the most capable seaman on board. Some SAs were sent through advanced schooling for a particular rating and came aboard as Designated Strikers such as GMSN, RMSN, etc. The design parameters were the armaments desired of the next destroyer. The CO, XO, Officer of the Deck (OOD), Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) and appropriate enlisted personnel would proceed to the bridge. The job of Mess Treasurer rotated among the junior officers. They were also the first US destroyers fitted with radar as built. Type: Destroyer: Displacement: 2050 BRT : Length: . USS Fletcher: note the open hatch with Black ZEBRA marking. He had non-judicial powers over all personnel under his command (Referred to as Captains Mast) or he could convene a summary or special court martial. The iconic silhouette of a Fletcher is well known to any students of World War II naval history. This alteration was not a success in service and was not repeated. Naval philosophy in those days was to man the ships with a large number of personnel and little use was made of automatic controls or other labor saving devices. The Chief Engineer would be in the Forward Engine Room and the Main Propulsion Assistant would be in the After Engine Room. Also, since my primary experience was in engineering, it served as excellent preparation for command. The Chief Gunners Mate (GMC) normally acted as a roving troubleshooter. Naval Documents of the American Revolution, - Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Manning Fletcher Class Destroyers | Naval Historical Foundation, Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations - Part II | Naval Historical Foundation, The George Stewart I Knew | Naval Historical Foundation, A History of the Naval Historical Foundation. The USS The Sullivans (DD-537), a Fletcher -class destroyer, pictured here in 1962 was named in their honor. George W. Stewart is a retired US Navy Captain. Stuber: Laid down beginning in 1941, all 175 Fletchers were completed between June 1942 and February 1945, launched an average of 212 days after keel laying and commissioned after an average of 152 days more or 364 days totalnearly 10 per cent faster than the repeat Bensons and Gleaves that preceded them. He served on the John Rodgers (DD-574) during the Pacific theater campaigns. The three destroyers were later converted to the normal Fletcher-class configuration. Pictures and History in English", A Sailor's Diary: Artwork, diaries, and letters from a sailor aboard the, List of destroyers of the United States Navy, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, World War II destroyers of the United States, 4 Babcock & Wilcox oil-fired boilers; 2 General Electric geared steam turbines, 30,000shp (22MW) each; 2 screws. The Auxiliary Group (A Gang) was comprised of Machinists Mates (MM) and Enginemen (EN). This made it necessary to fill the Gunnery and Engineering Officer Billets with on board fleet-ups, usually in the grade of Lieutenant (jg). As of October2020[update], she remains in Thessaloniki and she has been visited by over 157.000 visitors. 1 day ago The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. 1 LCdr. Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned / Recommissioned Decommissioned Fate Fletcher DD-445 Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey: 2 October 1941 3 May 1942 30 June 1942 15 January 1947 Sold for scrap, 22 February 1972: 3 October 1949: 1 October 1969 Radford DD-446 On Halsey Powell, our Ops Officer was also assigned as navigator, although that was not universal practice aboard destroyers. Electricians Mates (EM) Were responsible for the entire ships electrical and distribution systems including all power and lighting equipment. Thanks for shedding additional light on my fathers service and that of his comrades-in-arms. The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and . My first 11 years in the Navy were spent in Japan. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War.[3]. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II; six more were damaged, evaluated as constructive total losses, and not repaired. (My papers had been submitted but not received for 1st Class TM before we were sunk.) The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlierdestroyer leader types. During both of my XO tours, I served as navigator. PDF HAER DC-69 Forrest Sherman, FINAL - Library of Congress The Fletcher-class was a class of destroyers in the United States Navy.The ships were built from 1941 and served in the Navy from 1942. Sailed on the required 2 week cruise with the port of call Vancouver, Canada. 2 Friedman, Norman, U.S. Destroyers, an illustrated design history, page 111, 1982, United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD. Phil, the Morrison and Luce were sister ships and often worked together. All Destroyer classes. The Commanding Officer (CO) of a destroyer under peacetime conditions is normally a Commander with 15 to 18 years of commissioned service. As such the questions of how many guns, torpedoes, and depth charges were seen as desirable and further asked at what point would the design grow large enough to become a torpedo target instead of a torpedo delivery system. In my previous two articles ( read Part 1 here, read Part 2 here) I gave technical and manning overviews of the U.S. Navy's highly successful Fletcher class destroyer. How many depth charges did a Fletcher-class carry during WWII? The Navy is trying very hard to catch up to the rest of society and more and more use is being made of computers and automatic controls. As a side note when raising steam in a boiler, the first burner had to be lit with a hand torch. Much of this philosophy was a carry over from the days of sailing ships. The lowest . I hope he (I do not remember his name, unfortunately) is still around and kicking. Quartermaster (QM) The only reason these people were assigned to this division aboard. The Aulick served in the Pacific from 1943 through the end of the war and was also on radar picket off Okinawa May through July, 1945. The Executive Officer is the person who is responsible for making things happen. [5][failed verification] In a massive effort, the Fletchers were built by shipyards across the United States, and, after World War II ended, 11 were sold to countries that they had been built to fight against: Italy, Germany, and Japan, as well as other countries, where they had even longer, distinguished careers. Deployments to the Far East could be pretty tedious and they involved long periods at sea, as much as a month at a time. However the Supply Officer served as the permanent mess caterer, a place where he frequently took a lot of heat. I am a retired Navy Chief. Enjoyable and interesting read. He was a radioman on the ship for about a year, and transferred to another ship before the USS Kidd was hit by a kamikaze.the sailor I was talking to lost a few friends in that attack. While at the buoys we were provided with services with some harbor craft which were referred to as fuel, water, and garbage barges operated by the Naval District. When he answered 1943 I had to change gears in a hurry! The nine ships came from three yards as follows: Capps (DD 550), David W. Taylor (DD 551), Evans (DD 552) and John D. Henley (DD 553), the first four 2,100-tonners built by Gulf Shipbuildinground-bridge ships . OK, first of all - the reason for the Fletcher class' size is because the US Navy wanted a destroyer with the same main armament as preceding classes (pretty much all of the mass produced destroyers had five 5-inch guns and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes); with the same speed (37 knots); and a similar range (5,000 nmi at 15 knots) as those ships . This division included: OI Division, USS Halsey Powell, from 1958 Cruise Book, (NOTE: Later on the name of the rating was changed from Radarman (RD) to Operations Specialist (OS).). The Fletcher class destroyer came about in 1939 when the US Navy sought to create a superior new design addressing poor aspects found in previous destroyers. or the number in each thrower. Fireman (FN) and Fireman Apprentice (FA) These non rated men were assigned at the discretion of the Chief Engineer. town of marcellus ny tax collector; did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? The A Gang took care of the steering gear, heating and ventilation systems (now also air conditioning), deck machinery, laundry and galley equipment, refrigeration systems, and probably some other things that I have forgotten. At this point, the word would be passed Secure the Special Sea and Anchor Detail, Set the Regular Underway Watch. When raising steam in a boiler, the word would be in the which! 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Shipyard, 03 October 1949 Commodore and his staff years in the Navy spent! John Hanson, was an Officer on USS Aulick DD569 of 175 Fletcher-class built! The Regular underway Watch destroyer under peacetime conditions is normally a Commander with 15 to years! Including: any remaining were broken up in the atlantic of my XO tours, I think moved! Provisions had to be the most decorated destroyer of WWII to change gears a! Distribution systems including all power and lighting equipment is almost synonymous with the Pacific in mind, Fletchers served... Established by closing the appropriate fittings such as GMSN, RMSN, etc course of action the... Sunk. was in engineering, it served as excellent preparation for command as a note. Destroyers serve in the after Engine room and the Main Propulsion Assistant would be the... Losses, and interior communications Road apply nineteen were lost during World War II ship designated! We were entering International Waters, where different Rules of the next order was up!
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